The Seismic Joint

The photo above shows the seismic joint between the base isolated Hospital and the fixed base medical office building (MOB). At the lower level, the joint width is approximately 30″ between buildings however, at the upper floors, the joint width is approximately 54″ to account for inter story drift during a large earthquake. From inside the buildings, patrons do not realize the two are actually separate structures as seismic joint technologies accommodate the potential 30″ movement of the hospital while creating a seamless architectural transition.